GGA Game Review: Dungeons and Dragons Takes Seafaring to a Whole New Level in GHOSTS OF SALTMARSH

While we don’t get on a boat right away, Ghosts of Saltmarsh does promise a trip on one. The latest multi-adventure book from Wizards of the Coast updates seven adventures for dungeons and dragons. The team did an amazing job of updating the adventures and rules for seafaring for 5e players. However boats aren’t going to be everything we see in this new book, we will also get to visit a haunted house, coves, islands and so much more. So get your sea legs ready as we dive into Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Also be mindful we are treading into spoiler territory!

Seven Adventures to Trek Through

Similar to Tales From the Yawning Portal, we are getting multiple adventures in this one book. Chapters two to eight feature stand alone adventures dungeon masters can prep and guide their players through. The first adventure encompasses two chapters, but is the anchor for the book itself. It has players explore through a haunted house before setting sail on the Sea Ghost and heading off to the big bad enemies lair to save the day. The other adventures have you chasing after a ghost ship, helping out the poor abbey that has been attacked by pirates, and taking on some lizard folk just to name a few.

The adventures for players are amazing, however from a dungeon master with quite a few things on her plate, I felt the book left us a bit under prepared. The adventures are great for those who love to craft stories around them, but not for those of us who have multiple games running at a time. This goes the same for those newer dungeon masters who might feel a bit overwhelmed by the lack of additional material we have become accustomed to. However that does not mean the adventures are not amazing in their own right.

Book Art

I might be a bit swayed by the fact that Ghosts ofSaltmarsh is a nautical adventure, but the art is amazing. We have tons of pirate imagery mixed in with ghost ships, lizard folk, and even a kraken! The maps for each adventure are beautifully drawn out and feature little additional things to help take them to the next level. Kate Irwin does a fantastic job bringing all the art together and helps bind the seven different adventures together. Also did I mention it is nautical themed?! This means we get beautiful artwork of a kraken just busting through a ship. Wizards of the Coast released two covers for Ghosts of Saltmarsh, one that features a kraken tearing apart a ship (do you get that I love krakens yet) and the other, an exclusive to game stores, features the deadly sahuagin! Of all the dungeon and dragons book art, this is one of my favorites.

Overall Opinion

Of course I think anyone who loves dungeons and dragons should add Ghosts of Saltmarsh to their collection. Now those who are players, wait until you at least play through the adventures to avoid major spoilers, but then by all means enjoy the beautiful updated world of Saltmarsh. A word of advice for my fellow dungeon masters out there, make sure you prepare these adventures in advance. Even those I know who are good at just winging it, had to prep as well.

Ghosts of Saltmarsh is available now online and in stores! For the exclusive cover make sure to check out your friendly neighborhood game stores!